What the heck is a

What the heck is a "Deceptive Cadence"?

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As my first book is finding its way to more readers, I'm meeting people who are intrigued by the title and interested to know what it means. The title is a musical term, so I thought I'd post an explanation and give an example of what it sounds like, and how to distinguish it from other types of cadences. Searching for the term online, you will get some ver[...]
Where Would Downton Abbey's Residents Take Tea?

Where Would Downton Abbey's Residents Take Tea?

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"Come along inside . . . we'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place." -- from The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame When we come to the end of time, whoever is still left standing might find themselves with a spare minute to tally up the triumphs and tragedies of human history. On the positive side of the ledger, I'm confident they [...]
Listen to Music that Inspired Deceptive Cadence

Listen to Music that Inspired Deceptive Cadence

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The late Irish rocker Rory Gallagher. Bollywood movie hits. Samuel Barber's violin concerto. What could these things possibly have in common? Once a week, critically acclaimed novelist Roz Morris hosts a fantastic blog called "Undercover Soundtrack" in which she  invites writers to describe how music influences their creative process. I was delighted to be [...]
A Garage Sale Memoir

A Garage Sale Memoir

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I'm afraid I'm heading for a Grey Gardens sort of future. Why? Because I live in a big, old house. A house my family has owned for 80+ years. We’ve decided it is, in fact, too big and too old for us, now. Too hard to clean, to maintain, to heat. Too much that needs updating (knob-and-tube wiring, anyone?). We’ve decided it’s time to look for something small[...]
Watch: The Emigrant Irish

Watch: The Emigrant Irish

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When I think of the recitation of poetry, I think of Garrison Keillor--and not in a good way, I'm afraid. But it doesn't have to be that way. While building my Pinterest board for Deceptive Cadence, I found this video, featuring the Irish actor Fionnula Flanagan reciting a piece called "The Emigrant Irish" by Dublin-born poet Eavan Boland. If you want to ex[...]